Chess Puzzle #WTc18 — Expert, White to move, middlegame

Rating 2368 · Expert · equality, middlegame, short.

Position

White: king h1; queen f3; rook f2; bishop b3; knight f7; pawns a2/b2/g2/h2. Black: king g7; queen b4; rooks a8/f8; bishop e5; pawns a7/g6/h7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Rac8 — rook a8→c8. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Qe3 — queen f3→e3. Opponent replies Bf4 (bishop e5→f4).
  3. Best move: Rxf4 — rook f2→f4, captures bishop.

Tactical themes

equality, middlegame, short. The key move is Qe3.

Position data

FEN: r4r2/p4Nkp/6p1/4b3/1q6/1B3Q2/PP3RPP/7K b - - 0 26

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Puzzle data from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0). Analysis powered by Stockfish 18 in your browser.